Brian Bailey is a man with a plan. Lots of plans, actually. “I’ve been accused of having restaurant ADD,” he said brightly. “I eat at a lot of restaurants. I love food. I love to tell stories about a region through food.” His restaurant concepts have included Old Carolina Barbecue Co., Baja West Coast Kitchen, Smoke the Burger Joint and two new ones, Biscuit Uprising and StreetCraft Modern Mexican.

Tony Ly was just 23 years old when he opened Basil Asian Bistro in downtown Canton in May 2013. “I had a lot of management experience for my age, but not enough. I was still growing up,” Ly said. With an easy chuckle, he added, “I’m still growing up.” Six years later, Basil is a popular and thriving downtown cornerstone.

Gervasi Vineyard off 55th Street NW in Canton remains an Italian village in the making. Nine years ago, Gervasi Vineyard was the last workable farm in Canton and seemed to Ted Swaldo a good place to grow grapes.